


It's Alright, Kid

by AnxiouslyGoing



Category: Star Trek, Star Trek: Alternate Original Series (Movies)
Genre: Angst, Autistic Leonard McCoy, Family, Hurt/Comfort, Traumatized Jim Kirk
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-13
Updated: 2018-12-13
Packaged: 2019-09-17 09:02:30
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 932
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16971693
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AnxiouslyGoing/pseuds/AnxiouslyGoing
Summary: Sometimes getting to know people happens in unexpected ways.





	It's Alright, Kid

**Author's Note:**

  * For [BeautyGraceOuterSpace](https://archiveofourown.org/users/BeautyGraceOuterSpace/gifts).



"Jim, y'ok?" Bones looked up from his book when he heard the younger man's breathing suddenly quicken. "Jim?"

He heard his name, but he felt stuck unable to respond. He had started feeling lightheaded maybe ten minutes ago? Time was always a little confusing and even more so when he started feeling bad. And it wasn't anything new. The lightheadedness always happened, and like every other time he tried to brush it off along the dread that was growing in his chest with it. Sometimes, rarely, if he could manage to keep control of his breathing the incident would pass.

This was not one such time.

He jumped when a hand settled on his shoulder.

"Easy, Jim." Leonard knelt next to him, keeping his hand on Jim's shoulder. "What's goin' on?"

Jim's stomach clenched before he could get any words out, making him gag. Leonard jumped to his feet and gingerly pulled Jim up as well.

"I'm fine," Jim managed to argue as Bones pulled him to the bathroom.

"In a pig's eye you are!" Len guided him to the floor and lifted the toilet seat for him.

Jim shook his head, as tears began streaming down his face. "I can't." He hugged himself tightly, trying to stem the tremble coursing violently through his body. "I ca-" he gagged, but forced himself not to vomit. A small whimper escaped him instead.

"Jim, it's gonna help you feel better. Alright? Whatever's in your system makin' ya sick, you need to get it out." Bones massaged circles between Jim's shoulders. "It's alright, kid," he soothed, "it's alright. Just take a deep breath."

Jim tried to do as he was told, but this time he could not hold back the bile building in his throat. With the vomit came more tears. He had to stop this wasn't ok. His body rebelled against the idea and convulsed violently, practically sending his head into the toilet. Strong and gently hands held him steady, and began to rub circles between his shoulders when the vomiting turned to dry heaves.

He wasn't supposed to do this he scolded himself as tears ran numbly down his pallid face. He had to hang on to the food he had. He couldn't let it go to waste like this. Not when there people who couldn't eat at all. It wasn't fair.

"Easy, kiddo," a gentle voice soothed. Jim flinched at the wet cloth that came from nowhere and gently wiped under his chin. "Jim, you're ok."

Jim collapsed back against Len's chest. Bones sighed and wrapped the kid protectively in his arms. "You're alright, Jim. How long ya been having panic attacks like that?"

Jim sniffled a little. He was going to be stuck with Bones for a while, he might as well tell him. He was bound to find out eventually. "Since Tarsus IV," he croaked.

Len's jaw dropped. "Well, that explains it," the statement came out flatter and harsher than he intended, he realized when Jim flinched under his arm. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean it like that. Jim," he let out a sigh, "did- did you ever talk to anyone about that? A professional?"

Jim sniffed again and shook his head. "Couldn't afford that."

"Alright..." This was not going to be fun. "Before you got sick, when was the last time you ate? Had it been a while?"

Jim shrugged, noncommittal.

"Ok. Look, kid..." he sighed, bedside manner had always been the most difficult part of being a doctor for him. The situation didn't make it less awkward, this was his roommate, not his patient. "Is it safe to say that when you were there, there was a lot of times you went without so someone else could eat?"

Jim only nodded.

"Yeah, I thought so... See, when you do stuff like that your body learns to ignore its hunger signals, so your blood sugar got low, and that's what made ya sick. But feelin' that way also makes ya think of bein' back there, and that's causin' the anxiety and panic attacks. And those can make ya sick on their own. It makes sense for that kind of trauma." He glanced at Jim who had gone completely still. For a long moment neither spoke or moved. Leonard hoped he hadn't overstepped his bounds, but the kid needed to know. Maybe it would have been better coming from a counselor at the Academy, but he doubted if Jim would be up to that.

"How do I get better?" Jim asked quietly.

Bones gave an inward sigh of relief. "Well, we know bein' hungry is a trigger for the attacks so we need to avoid that. I know ya don't really feel your hunger signals, and it's hard to make yourself eat when you're nauseated. So I want ya to start carrying peppermints with ya, alright? At all times. It'll kick your blood sugar up, and it'll help settle your stomach. And I want ya to carry some crackers or a granola bar with you all the time too, okay? Saltines are gonna be easier on your stomach, but try to get somethin' more substantial in ya if ya can. I'll start carryin' some stuff too so if you don't have yours, you can come find me, alright? And it'll help if you just eat somethin' every couple'a hours. Even it's something small, like a couple crackers, it'll help keep that blood sugar leveled out."

Jim nodded. "Thanks, Bones," he said quietly.

"Anytime, kid." He gave the kid another gentle squeeze. "Now, how 'bout we getcha some chicken noodle soup?"

**Author's Note:**

> Inspired by headcanon discussions from BeautyGraceOuterSpace. Thanks for encouraging me to put my work out there.


End file.
